First look

Nokia 6101

February 14th was a great day both for mobile phones manufacturers and users. Most of the prestigious phone manufacturers presented several dozens of new mobile phones at the 3GSM congress at Cannes.

Nokia 6101: the lady in the background

The new shell phone 6101 remains a little bit overshadowed by the elite 6680/6681 models. No wonder, since it is not so interesting as far as functions are concerned. Although its functional equipment would beat most of the competitors, with Nokia we are already used to high quality standards. The phone has two colour displays and a VGA camera. It supports Push to talk, boasts with the EDGE fast data transfers, MP3 ringtones, an email client and a radio. Would you like a more detailed specification? In fact the features of the phone are very similar to the metal Nokia 6170 shell phone or the stylish 7270 model.

The new design is not that original anymore, as it was with other Nokia shell-phones

However, this new phone comes out with a completely new design. I am not going to keep my feelings for myself and will tell you right away that it disappointed me a lot. I have always liked the Nokia shell phones for they have been consistently original and have always found a way of their own in terms of forms, colours and materials. They were recognizable at a first sight. Not everyone likes extravagance, though, even if very fine and decent. This might explain the creating of the new 6101 model, made for the crowds.

Having somewhat round forms it fits among its Asian competitors. Nokia's designers might also have been inspired - though not much - by the Motorola models. Anyway, it definitely cannot be considered an ugly telephone. Its forms, as well as the combination of materials, leave an impression of balance and ostentation, which is only spoiled by the antenna.

Why does the antenna have to pop out of the phone, since hiding it in the 6170 and 7270 models was not a problem at all?

The new model has been designed with a clear purpose to meet the requirements of the operators the easiest possible way. That's why it is going to be launched in various colour versions.

Construction, keypad and display

The front cover is made of glossy plastics and thus guards every single fingerprint so perfectly… Its margins, divided by chromium-plated border, are made of common plastics of a different shade. In the cover there is an implemented passive display, which is able to show 4096 colours and is the same as the one in the already mentioned 6170 and 7270 Nokia models. Above the display is the camera lens decorated with a chromium-plated frame.

The size of the outer display is not astounding, but the information it provides is fully sufficient

On the right side of the phone you will find the infrared port window and the Push to talk button. On the left one there is a couple of volume buttons. At the upper edge there is a small eyelet for the wrist strap and at the bottom one is the Pop-Port connector. The phone we had borrowed was a bit creaky, but apparently, it was not a final version of the model.

Phone's sideways

The keypad is of a remarkable quality. The keys are separated sufficiently and are raised from the rest of the cover. Recognizing them by touch is therefore very easy and the messaging - quite fast, also owing to the exceptional feedback. As far as the design is concerned, there is an interesting helper in the managing mode. The main key is framed in the same colour as is the middle confirm-button and the nearby functional keys form a homogeneous block. However - as far as functionality is concerned, there is nothing to rebuke.

The keypad is good quality; the keys are raised from the rest of the cover a bit

The main display is again the same as in the other sister shell-phones. It is big enough and the image provided is of a very good quality. There are no changes in the main menu, including the well known standard Series 40.